Box Score FLUSHING, N.Y. (Jan. 12, 2016) – The Molloy College men's basketball team succumbed to a sluggish start on Tuesday night in a conference loss to the Knights of Queens College, 78-62, at Fitzgerald Hall in Flushing. The Lions, down by as many as 19 points in the loss, fall to an overall record of 4-10 and 2-4 in East Coast Conference competition. Meanwhile, the Knights find themselves with a record of 5-6 and 3-3 in ECC play for the 2015-16 campaign following the triumph over the maroon and white.
Though Molloy scored the first points of the game on a free throw by senior Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, N.Y.), Queens College would utilize a suffocating press defense to generate extra possessions. This led to an 11-0 run over the game's next three minutes for the home side, with senior guard Travis Whitfield (Baldwin, N.Y.) scoring six straight in the spurt. Junior guard Tyree White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and forward Carson Murphy (Mohawk, N.Y.) also contributed in the Knights' run that was ended on a bucket by freshman Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.) which made the score 11-3 with 16:40 remaining in the first half. Molloy found itself down by 15 after senior forward Paul Little (Englewood, N.J.) threw down a right-handed jam and then converted on an alley-oop, giving Queens a 20-5 lead with 14:33 to play in the frame.
Jenkins responded with a three-point play and senior guard Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.) scored Molloy's next five points, cutting the deficit to 11 at 24-13 midway through the first. Both teams looked to get production from its benches, as senior center Mohamed Dansoko (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored eight first-half points while the Lions' Adrian Denner (Franklin Square, N.Y.) converted a fast-break lay-up at 8:03 to keep Queens' lead at 11 points. Later Gatson and Diego Maldonado (Valley Stream, N.Y.) traded three-pointers while Murphy and Bowles answered with two-point field goals, as Queens led 34-22 with 5:24 to play in the half. The Knights would then build an 18-point lead on free throws by White with 2:07 remaining until Gatson answered with a three-pointer to get Molloy within 15 again at 44-29. Freshman guard Chris O'Reilly (Colts Neck, N.J.) scored the last two points of the half on a jumper with 22 seconds remaining as the Lions ended the half trailing by 13 at 46-33.
The Lions opened the second half on the right note with junior guard Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) burying two straight three-pointers to get his team within eight points at the 18:16 mark with Queens leading 47-39. White answered with a teardrop floater from Whitfield seconds later to give the Knights a ten-point lead at 49-39. Whitfield would then use every part of the rim on a jumper to put Queens ahead by 12 with under 17 minutes to play. The 51-39 lead would remain for over a full minute until Marquardt hit two free throws to cut it to a 51-41 score with 15:13 left in regulation. Every time Molloy crawled closer, it seemed that Queens had an answer as junior guard Kyheim Chaplin (Freeport, N.Y.) rained in a corner three-ball with 14:49 to play to up the Knights' lead to 54-41. Later in the half, junior point guard Marquis Roberts (Brooklyn, N.Y.) converted on a three-point play to give the Knights a 15-point lead once again, this time with the score favoring the hosts 57-42. Maldonado then drained a no-doubt three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Knights a 60-42 margin with 11:34 to go in the game.
O'Reilly knocked down a three-point shot in an attempt to rally his team back, but Maldonado and Fredric Bowers (Yonkers, N.Y.) canceled out the shot with two straight buckets as Queens grabbed a 19-point edge at 64-45. The hosts kept their foot on the throat of the opposition, as Little threw home an emphatic right-handed jam with 3:45 remaining to give the Knights a 71-54 advantage. The Lions never mounted another serious charge in the contest as the Knights continued to roll through the rest of the second half en route to the victory.
For Molloy, Gatson collected a career-high 18 points in just his second career start, hitting 77% (7-9) of his field goals with six rebounds as well. Marquardt scored 12 points on a night in which he went just 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. O'Reilly added nine points off the bench while Morris was held to a season-low nine, the first time all season that he did not crack double-figures in points. Queens' high man was Maldonado with 13 points, as White poured in 12 and Chaplin had a 10-point outing as well. The Knights out-rebounded Molloy by a 37-19 margin, converting Molloy's 17 turnovers in 21 points. Molloy shot well enough to win, hitting 51% (21-41) of its field goals but only 47% (14-30) of its free throws in the loss. Queens, meanwhile, was dynamite from the field (29-55, 53%) and from deep (6-11, 55% three-pointers) as well as from the stripe (14-18, 78%).
The Molloy College men's basketball team will now travel to Bridgeport for a date with the three-time defending East Coast Conference champions at Hubbell Gymnasium. Tip-off between the Lions and the Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport is set for 7 p.m.
